As a small business owner, entrepreneur or CEO, you don't have to be Lou Holtz or a superstar motivator to become better at coaching your sales team. However, you can learn from his wisdom on (and off) the field, and embrace some of his coaching philosophy in your sales organization. Let's take a moment to think deeply about a few of his profound quotes.

"A bird doesn't sing because he has an answer, he sings because he has a song."

Small business owners have a multitude of responsibilities in addition to managing those that sell for them, including solving problems by providing answers. This is a critical function for you, but what is equally important, is the delivery of the answer. If the reasoning is not understood by the salesperson (employee or independent contractor), but instead is simply taken at face value, a teaching opportunity may have been lost. Always remember, insight begins with understanding. You may have the answers, but strive to keep conscious awareness on how you arrived at these conclusions. Then deliver it in a way your salesperson can take ownership of the knowledge. With this renewed sense of confidence, more sales are surely on the horizon.

"Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired."

Regardless if it's a customer, or an employer who can potentially fire you, both endings are unacceptable. It's an artful balance between focusing on what you want (e.g. the Law of Attraction) versus identifying pitfalls before you fall in. If need for approval, tendency to become emotionally involved, self-limiting record collection, and non-supportive buying cycle are foreign phrases to you, then it's time to start studying(The Objective Management Group). Reason being, if you don't have a certain level of understanding of your salesperson's belief systems, then you may be taking an entirely wrong approach in coaching them.   

"It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test."

I've coached small business owners, entrepreneurs and CEO's extensively on the commonalities that successful salespeople posses. Goal setting, unconditional commitment to success, power of a positive outlook, and zero tolerance for mediocre results, etc. However, what about those hidden gems that you may have let go due to bad performance? The true reason for failure may have been because you didn't understand what drives their motivation. You need to know if they are primarily motivated by the desire to avoid pain, or to gain pleasure. The type of energy in these polar forces are substantively very unique and guide one's behavior in different directions. Again, without insight, there is no understanding. Sometimes fear brings out the best in us, but for another person it may stifle them. It's your job to figure this out. 

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